Using cabbage juice as a pH indicator, future scientists explore the effect of increasing carbon dioxide on the pH of the ocean and relate it to the health of coral reefs. Ideal for an earth or environmental sciences course, this lesson...

Do you know how much water you have had in the last 24 hours? Do you know how much your body needs? In this hands-on activity, your class members will estimate how much water our bodies lose each day by filling and emptying one-liter...

Students identify the ways in which water moves through our environment and consider the different forms it can be found in. They view videos, conduct experiments and participate in class discussions. Students determine the role that...

Fifth graders study the impact of human activity on water quality and on the ecosystems of Earth. After a discussion on the various ways that water can be polluted, groups of youngsters get together to figure out the best way to clean a...

Students name 3-5 aesthetic values of the Potomac River. They state the importance of water in their own words. Students describe what Earth Day is and why it is important. They list 5-7 ways that they can help minimize water pollution.

Make young citizens aware of their environmental impact early. An inquiry-based lesson helps learners analyze their own water usage patterns and understand the effects of their habits. Individuals look at data to spot trends and see how...

Here is a fine lesson for fifth graders that will give them an idea of the variety of impacts that human-introduced pollutants have on the environment. After an initial class discussion and teacher-led demonstration, pupils brainstorm...

Auntie Litter is here to educate young scholars about water pollution and environmental stewardship! Although the 15-minute video clip is cheesy, it's an engaging look at the water cycle and conservation. Learners start by illustrating...

There's no doubt that one of the most consistent dangers to our environment is the risks associated with the extraction and shipment of oil. This lesson focuses on oil spills - how they happen, the effects they have on the environment,...

Students demonstrate an awareness of air as a substance that surrounds us and takes up space, and whose movement we feel as wind. They predict and describe how local weather conditions affect living things, including themselves.

Students draw and label the basic needs of animals. They draw and label the basic needs of plants. Students understand the basic needs of plants and animals are not only the same, but are interrelated. They know that the environment...

Students investigate water in its solid and liquid form. In this states of matter lesson, students experiment to see what happens as water goes from a solid, ice, to a liquid, water, and back again. They write about and illustrate the...

Young scholars examine the world's environmental dilemmas and create project depicting how to improve the environment. They study ten endangered species.

Lab groups set up an experiment to observe what happens over time in collected pond water when fertilizer, representing pollution, is added. This website does not include student lab sheets, but background information, materials, and...

Are our oceans really suffering due to the choices humans make? The sixth and final installment in the volume of activities challenges research groups to tackle one of six major topics that impact ocean health. After getting to the...

Students explore how personal behavior can affect health, especially the health of your skin. They become better aware of how their personal behavior and the environment can have a considerable impact on their health in general. Students...

Students discover the dangers of landfills to our environment by investigating leachate.  In this environmental lesson, students create a model landfill experiment in which they observe the effect of rain on a landfill over the...

Second graders participate in a three part lesson in which they identify and describe forms of moisture in the environment. Part one of the lesson involves the three stages of the water cycle, part two focuses on creating humidity by...

Students examine how water changes state, from a liquid to a solid.  In this water lesson students study the water cycle and how temperature and pressure effect it. 

Students investigate water conservation. In this water conservation lesson, students list the uses for water and record their water usage for one day. Students graph the data and create a water conservation poster.

Learners study drinking water. In this environment lesson, students draw the path of drinking water from the place of precipitation to the tap after researching a map and information from the United States Geological Survey water...

Seventh graders engage in hands-on experiments and activities dealing with rivers and greenways. They also observe lectures and demonstrations by experts in water and river restoration. Students and teachers participate in canoe trips...

We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...

Students become familiar with the water cycle and water issues.  In this water lesson students examine what they can do to protect their water.